Page 21 of Billionaire Bodyguard

Gun at the ready, I folded her against me, and we dashed for the waiting car. The driver, Matteo, stepped out, covering us from that direction. I heard a shot, and Linzey screamed again, ducking lower. Lifting her, I ran the rest of the way to the vehicle and dove inside. I’d barely slammed the door when Matteo peeled away, even as more more shots hit the car.

“Bulletproof,” I muttered into Linzey’s hair as she sobbed into my chest. My God, how much could one woman take? I was trained for this. She was not. She didn’t deserve this, any of it.

I hugged her tight, knowing what I’d have to do and dreading it. She’d never forgive me.

Eleven

Linzey

“No,” I denied, staring at Adler as we stood in the living room of the safe house.

“It’s for the best,” he said, his tone flat as he pulled his stone-faced persona around him. “They’re after me for an old vendetta—”

“Why now?”

“Maybe, they just found me. Maybe, they were rebuilding. Doesn’t matter. They’re after me, and they’ll use you to get to me if they think they can. As soon as your penthouse is deemed safe and the security is fortified, your new protection officer will take over and—”

“No!” I exclaimed, interrupting again. Hurt tears burned in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “What? You got what you wanted and now, you’re using the first excuse to dump me off?”

“Baby—Linzey. Don’t be like that. You know that’s not what this is,” he pleaded, stepping toward me. I scrambled back, refusing to let him touch me. He froze, horror on his features, and I realized it was the first time I’d shied away from him. Ever.

“Do I?” I snapped. “Because it sure as hell seems like that’s the case. I guess I’m lucky I didn’t spread for you sooner, huh? You would have abandoned me years ago.”

His horror turned to rage, but he shut it down, going emotionless once more. His fingers flexed and released, giving away his agitation, before he spoke again, his voice deadly calm.

“Sleeping with you was not—”

“A diversion? A fun time? Your side gig?” I was all about the interrupting right now and didn’t even care. “Because it sure seems like it. Well, fine! Dump me on someone else. I’m no one’s side piece.”

“Linzey…”

I shook my head, silently stopping whatever he’d planned to say. “I thought…” Emotions made my voice crack and I struggled to speak. Adler reached for me, but I stepped away. “I thought what we had was special, that you actually cared about me. But now…you’re breaking up with me?”

“I’m not breaking up with you!” he yelled, his façade cracking.

“Well, it sure seems like it. How do you think this would even work? You’re leaving me with another bodyguard—”

“For your own safety!”

“Whatever. And what? You’ll sneak in to see me? No, you won’t, because you might be seen. And we can’t go out on dates. So what then? You’re my long distance boyfriend that I talk to over facetime once in a while? How is it different from me being alone? It’s not!” I cried. “It’s worse.”

“Calm down,” he ordered. “Little girl, so help me—”

“Don’t!” I yelled back. “You don’t get to talk to me like that. You don’t get to tell me what to do or where to go or when to eat or…” I shook with my fury and pain. “Or anything!”

I ran for the front door and yanked it open, dashing down the four steps to the sidewalk before Adler could stop me. I heard him yell, but I kept going, all the running I’d done coming in handy. A crowd of commuters, heading home from their subway stop surrounded me. I thought I’d get lost in the pack, but I realized my mistake in less than a minute.

“Well, well, well, what have we here?” a man laughed, his rumbling accent, vaguely Eastern European, cutting through my anger and straight to the fear that lived in my soul.

I heard Adler yelling, but it was too late. I was tossed in a white van and we were moving.

* * * *

I stared at the blond-haired man standing across from where I sat in a straight-back chair, in a rundown apartment building. From what I could see, the dining set was the only furniture in the place, not that I wanted to check out the bedroom, the only room I hadn’t seen. No thank you.

At the moment, I wasn’t tied up, but the man I assumed was Coval had told me he’d shoot out my kneecaps if I tried to get up. The other man who’d been with him had left after he helped drag me in here.

“Shoot out my kneecaps? That’s very mobster of you,” I said dryly. I might be terrified, but I was over all this shit. Here Iwas, collateral damageagain.This time because this guy had a vendetta against Adler. Why? Why did I always have to be the victim in these assholes’ schemes to get at other people? Maybe, it would get me killed, but enough was enough.

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